A New Type of Adventure
by LongLost10
Summary: Sometimes, an adventure isn't the only thing that can get your blood racing. Post-Mockingjay one shot.


**Author's note: The prompt I was given was: "Katniss's two children have an adventure that has something to do with romance."  
>Clearly, there's Mockingjay spoilers. <strong>

The sun broke over the trees of the forest surrounding District 12 as the birds started to sing, nothing too loud but loud enough that other woodland creatures started waking up as well. In the older part of the District, that used to be called Victors' Village but now was referred to as The Cold, an aged house started sleepily wake up. The lights on the bottom floor flickered on after a moment and tap water was heard turning on. Inside the house, a 16 year old boy groaned and turned over in his bed, pulling the blanket over his head. The sun was too bright, the birds too happy and damn it, he just wanted to stay in bed.

"Stipa!" A voice rung out from the floor below and the boy rolled over, burying himself deeper into the thin mattress and sheet. He heard the harsh groan and soft command to another person through his pillow. "Nolana, wake up your brother." There was a soft noise that he couldn't name before he heard footsteps up the stairs.

The boy heard his door open and laid perfectly still, pretending that he was still dead asleep. "Stipa. I know you're awake." The voice came from his doorway and he knew it belonged to his sister, two years older than him. She was 18 now, fully reaching her woman's height and he didn't have to look at her to see her in his mind's eye. Her dark hair was nearly always tied in a braid behind her head and her blue eyes, while bright, clearly hiding something from anyone who looks. His own grey eyes reflected the same sort of hurt and pain that were hidden in hers, although his was a bit more pronounced... even if he didn't know where that hurt and pain came from. It's just always been there. For both of them. "Stipa. Please." He heard her footsteps land gently on the ground as she approached him.

He rolled over slightly and stared into her blue eyes. "Tell me they aren't fighting." He said quietly. Stipa was looking at her, almost silently begging for there to be peace below them.

Nolana's gave a small, sad smile in response, clearly unsure of how to go about telling her brother about whatever was downstairs. "We've been through worse. And you know it. Come on. We're going into the forest today." The smile that appeared after the words passed her lips was one that he was more familiar with. The one that told them they were about to break apart from their life here and disappear into the forest. Like their parents had done so long ago. Stipa sat up and stretched, flexing his toned body in front of his sister with a smirk. "Come on and just get dressed, will you?" With that, she turned her back to him and waited, clearly not risking the chance for him to just go back to sleep.

Rolling his eyes, Stipa stood up and grabbed a pair of shorts, pulling them on while he talked to her. "Where are we headed today? Do you have plans or are we improvising?" Nolana was the one who taught him most about the forest and its layout. He knew a large area of it like the back of his hand now. The hills and ditches were predictable- the only thing he had to watch out for was animals and fallen trees. As he pulled a dark green shirt over his head, he saw Nolana turn around and just smile at him.

"You'll see." Making sure he saw her wink, she turned on her heel and walked out of his room. Stipa quickly slipped on shoes and ran out the door, closing it to make sure no one came in while he was gone. Not that he could really stop either of his parents, but it was nice to think that he could, at least for a little while.

When he entered the kitchen, there was bread and cheese on the table with a single glass of water on the counter. His father sat at the table, reading the paper from District Center, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. The older man absentmindedly ran his hand through his thinning hair, a nervous tick that Stipa had watched develop over the years. His mother was nowhere to be found. He didn't mention it though. There was no reason, both he and his sister knew why, even if they weren't supposed to.

Over the last few years as he and Nolana grew older, both of their parents started acting funny, being more hesitant and argumentative about politics that everyone knew didn't matter. Neither parent told Nolana or Stipa heads or tails about why they started quarreling more, being shorter with their words and more defensive overall. After some investigating, they learned more about the Hunger Games and the fact their parents were both tributes. Nolana learned some about it in school, they taught about the Hunger Games there, but the extent of their parents' participation had been hidden from them. They had been told never to learn about the Games that their parents participated in, about the horrors that their parents had to go through. But once Stipa found out, he knew why they acted funny and why they tried to hide the past from their children.

Lately, when their mother saw them, she had to leave because she not only saw herself, but those she killed, the ones she lost… the old man Haymitch explained to them when they were younger. It wasn't personality, Haymitch had said, it was their being that made her break down. As if that made them any happier about the situation.

After a quiet breakfast with their father, who didn't speak much at all, Nolana and Stipa slipped out of the house and headed towards the broken fence that encircled the district. Rumors were spread that it was still electrified to scare the little children, but at 16, Stipa believed none of it. They walked in silence until the district disappeared behind them. After only a moment's eye contact and a smirk shared between them, they shifted their direction and headed to an old cabin that sat by a lake.

From the looks of the surrounding area, no one had been to the neither the cabin nor the lake since the siblings' last adventure. They entered the single room and saw that everything was exactly like they left it with the exception of the new thin layer of dust which told them that they were indeed the last people in the cabin. Stipa crossed across the small room and picked up the bow that was propped up against a chair along with the quiver with about two dozen arrows sticking out of it. If there was one thing of his mother's that wasn't a physical trait and he inherited, it was her shooting ability, which was, of course, legendary.

Nolana couldn't shoot too well, or make snares or trap animals in the forest. She could fish very well though, which was something that Stipa just had no patience for. Waiting for a kill was one thing. Waiting for a bite was another.

"Are we going somewhere today? Or just the normal exploration?" Stipa asked again, putting the quiver of arrows over his shoulder. He felt safer with the bow and arrows on his person. He didn't trust just walking alone in the woods unless he was with his sister. And even so, he preferred having the bow.

Nolana smiled slightly and shrugged as she walked around the cabin and picked up a knife that sat in its sheath. The only real reason for visiting was to pick up Stipa's bow and the knife. Maybe to fish if they were hungry, as she had a pole here, but as it was right after breakfast, there was no need. "I thought we'd head to the mountains. It's a bit farther than we're used to going, but as far as I've heard, no one's been there in ages." Her eyes sparkled with the prospect of adventure and he couldn't help but grin in return.

"Let's go."

With that they set off, first determining what direction they had to take to reach the fabled mountains and started walking. Most of their day would be walking to and from the mountains, but it didn't matter. Tonight they would just return to The Cold well after sundown- their parents wouldn't mind. Their mother will inevitably end up drinking at some point during the night and their father… he might care for a while but then he'd lock himself up in his room and either read papers or paint pictures for hours.

The two of them spoke happily as they walked. In the forest there was no shame of their parents, no hidden things from them- it was peaceful and simple. What was there was there, nothing more nothing less. Around lunch time, he shot them a bird and she made a fire to cook it over. Once they ate, they started on their trek once more. After another few hours, they started to see the mountains in the distance.

"How much longer, do you think?"

"About an hour or two, maybe."

"We should set up camp when we get there. It took us half a day to get there. There's no way we're going to make a round trip in a day."

There was a brief moment of silence in which they both were thinking of their parents back home.

"That's probably a good idea."

After another minute or two of walking in silence, a twig snapped and the two of them went still. It was a snapping that wasn't caused by their own feet and that sent up a red flag that they weren't alone in the forest.

Nolana spoke first. "How far away from 12 are we?"

"At least 5 hours on foot. More, maybe. I lost track." He said, struggling to find his voice and keep it even. There was a rustling and Stipa primed his bow, raising it and pointing it to the forest. Out of the thick brush stumbled a girl about his age who clearly looked like she had been in the forest for days without food or water. She dropped to her knees and looked worriedly at her arm which had a large gash in it and was bent at a seemingly painful angle.

He dropped his bow, rushed to her side and tried to look into her eyes. Every inch of her face showed pain and her body was defensive of Stipa's gentle touch on her arm. "Hold still." Nolana's voice said, full of confidence already. He looked over to see her move over to a tree and cut off some bark. After getting some vines, she walked over to the girl and placed the bark on either side of her arm and then wrapped the vines around it, creating a splint. She looked up at him. "We need to go home. Maybe Mom can look at this."

He nodded slightly and they each lifted one of the girl's arms, Nolana a bit more carefully because she had the arm that had the splint, and started walking back towards the district. It would be a long time until they got home if they were walking with someone injured. Stipa looked over at the girl. Her eyes had bags under them along with cuts around her face, as if she didn't bother ridding her way of brush as she ran. "What's your name?" He asked her as they walked.

Her voice was soft and didn't mirror the harshness on her body- it wasn't what Stipa expected by any means. "Fitz." There was a little pain in her voice, but he figured anyone would be in pain. She looked between Stipa and Nolana before turning back to him. "Is there any way we can stop for a little bit? Please? Then we can keep walking, if you like." Stipa didn't even look at his sister when he made the decision, he just looked at Fitz.

"Yeah. Sure. Of course." His smile wasn't too forced or his voice strained. It was just an acknowledgement of a good idea. "We could probably set up camp. It's nearly sundown."

Nolana stopped walking and nodded, letting Fitz off her shoulder. "You guys stay here. I'm going to go grab some stuff for camp. Firewood and whatnot. I'll be back."

"Do you have your knife?" Stipa asked, just making sure that he'd see his sister again. He didn't not trust her in the woods, but you never knew what was out there. Take Fitz for example. "Do you want the bow?"

She chuckled lightly at him. "If you give me the bow, I'm going to shoot myself in the foot. I'll be fine." With that, his sister disappeared into the foliage around them. Stipa walked over and cleared some of the logs out of the immediate area, giving them space to build a fire later when it got dark. Finally he dragged over a log and sat down, beckoning Fitz to join him.

She sat down hesitantly. "I'm Stipa, by the way." He told her, sensing her awkwardness and trying to break the ice. "And that was my sister, Nolana. We're from District 12. It's a good distance from here. If we start in the morning, we can probably reach town by noon." He smiled, thinking that he was failing to ease the tension between them. "How'd you get in this bad of shape? If you don't mind me asking, of course…"

Fitz gave a soft chuckle and tore her eyes from him and stared at her feet. "I'm from District 11. I don't want to go back though." She started twisting her hands up within each other, making a puzzle of worn, black sticks. "I was working in the fields the other day… harvesting some corn. Someone's hand slipped or something happened and someone died." Stipa gasped and was about to ask what happened when she cut off his unspoken words. "I don't want to talk about it. I knew I was going to be blamed… and I know it's not like how it was before the war, but I couldn't live there with them knowing what I did." She seemed to force herself to stop twisting her hands. "So I ran. I told my sister, Wheat, that I was leaving and I did it. And… now I'm here."

He broke eye contact with her and stared into the forest- not wanting to keep staring at her and potentially make her even more uncomfortable. "Well, if you want… we have a spare bedroom. You can stay with us until decide what you want to do with yourself." The look on Fitz's face was one he was going to lock into his memory forever. Her eyes and teeth shone bright against her dark, battered skin.

"Really? That'd… that'd be great!" She said. A rustling in the woods told him that Nolana was on her way back. He used his foot to bring his bow closer to him nonetheless.

Stipa looked back at the girl from District 11. "Well, I don't think it'd be right to let you go with your arm in such a shape. I don't think Mom will be too bad about letting you stay. And if she can't heal you, we have connections in 13 that could easily mend you up." He told her. "Don't worry, you're in good hands here."

Nolana came out of the woods with a squirrel speared on her knife and a handful of wood. Stipa stood up and took the squirrel from her and started to skin it as his sister started building the fire. "Is there anything I can do?" Fitz's voice rang out through the small clearing that he had made. He was too busy to look up and speak to her but he heard Nolana say, "Don't even think about it. You're injured. Just sit and relax and build up your strength."

Once the fire started, he cooked the meat as best as he could. He cooked it a little longer than normal. While he and Nolana could tolerate meat on the rare-er side, he wasn't sure if Fitz's stomach could handle it. He divided up the meat and passed it out on some wide leaves that would serve well enough as plates. Normally he wouldn't have bothered, but he felt with Fitz, he should at least try a little. By the way she ate, one would think that she hadn't eaten in days, which was probably true, but the meat gave more protein than berries or whatever she was scavenging.

They had light talk until the sun set and their faces were only illuminated by the fire in front of them. Fitz spoke very little through the whole conversation, slowing down her eating after a few minutes and then just watching the two siblings talk. It was simple stuff: talk about how to get home the quickest, when to wake up, if they were to eat in the morning and how to explain Fitz's sudden presence in their lives.

After a while, the fire started to die and Nolana stood up, stretching. "Okay. We have a big day ahead of us. Let's try to get some sleep." He nodded, stood up and put some dirt on the now only smoldering fire. He watched it go out and turned around to see Nolana curled up in a small ball, her head up against a slightly slanted rock that served the purpose of a pillow. He wasn't sure if she was sleeping, he was pretty sure she wasn't, but he still kept quiet as he walked back over to Fitz.

He sat down on the ground and laid with his back against the dirt, staring into the sky. He looked up into the sparkling sky for a moment before lifting his hand up and pointing. "Look- it's Taurus." He said.

"Where?" He heard Fitz crawl over to him and felt her lay down beside him. There was a minute of her just laying there and staring up into the night. "I don't see it."

Very carefully, Stipa pulled her onto his chest and moved her so that she lined up with the hand pointing into the heavens. She was slightly frigid, afraid to be so close to someone who, despite being so courteous, was more or less a complete stranger. "Right there… past that branch from the oak tree." After a minute or so, he felt her relax a bit and curl up beside him. He was happy that she was starting to relax. She had to know that Stipa only wanted to help her at this point. Hadn't they [i]not[/i] shot her when she had stumbled out of the woods? Hadn't they offered her their home back in 12 along with all the benefits that came with it- her arm being healed, being properly fed for once… the list went on. He just wanted to make her comfortable and unafraid. She just seemed like a nice girl that bad things had happened to, fate just dealt her a bad hand of cards.

He felt her shift her head slightly. "Oh. I see it now." She said softly. "Taurus is a bull right? And bulls are strong?" He nodded slightly, looking down at her. It was an odd question to ask. He could feel the hesitance in the air and could tell that she was thinking of what to say next. "Do you think it can give me and my family some of its strength?" She asked quietly, turning to look into his eyes. He tilted his head to the side slightly. He didn't think that people believed in things like that anymore. "I'm scared, Stipa." Her voice shook.

Stipa raised his eyebrow and moved his hand up and down her arm, trying to sooth her. She was trembling slightly and had gripped his shirt tightly. "What do you mean? You're in safe hands now. There's no reason to be afraid." He told her. "You're with people who care about your safety."

"I'm not scared for me. I'm scared for Wheat, Stipa. What if she's hurt because she knows where I went to? She's the only one who knows." It took him a moment to remember that Wheat was her sister. "I know things aren't the same but-"

He cut her off, trying to keep the smile on his face friendly and not demeaning. "Things are not the same as they were before the war. People aren't killed because their family ran off. I'm not sure they were killed for that back before the destruction of the Capitol." He wrapped his arm around her and held her close. She curled up deeper into him as he put his mouth against her hair and whispered, "Everything's going to be alright."

Her voice was muffled by his shirt and chest. "Promise?"

"The best I can." He said quietly, smiling gently. He heard her sigh in content as they slipped into a peaceful silence.

Nolana's voice broke the still night. "Come on you two, go to sleep."

Fitz broke into laughter first, but Stipa followed suit quickly before they both lapsed into a happy silence. She looked up at him with happy, tired eyes and whispered, "Thank you" before reaching up slightly, kissing his cheek and snuggling back into his shoulder. Even with the growing darkness, Stipa's smile remained firmly on his face as he drifted off to sleep.


End file.
